


The Dark Corners of Our Minds

by Panic_CelestialInk



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (Cartoon 1996)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dream Travel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fight Scenes, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship, Psychological Torture, Torture, mindreading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-08-13 12:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20174518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panic_CelestialInk/pseuds/Panic_CelestialInk
Summary: When the other doctors failed to figure out what was wrong with her, Jennifer--or as she was better known as, the She-Hulk-- was very surprised that Tony Stark suggested they ask Dr Strange for help . . .





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so what happened is this: I finally watched the 2016 "Doctor Strange" movie and I absolutely fell in love with the character. So, as I was browsing through all my old marvel stuff, since the character rekindled my love for the fandom, I stumbled upon the 1996 Incredible Hulk cartoon. I watched an episode "Mind over Anti-Matter" and fell in love with the way Jennifer flirted with Stephen. As so, I had a new ship.
> 
> Then, I decided to write something for the ship.
> 
> Just so you all know, I have taken elements from the cartoon, the MCU and the comics to create my own Marvel universe. Therefore, the events of Civil War, Infinity war, and Endgame have not happened (although Tony is married to Pepper and Morgan has been born in this story) 
> 
> Also, the Jennifer here is mainly based on the cartoon, whilst Stephen is based on the MCU Stephen Strange. (and there is a touch of Bruce/Clint/Natasha if you squint really hard)
> 
> I hope that you all enjoy!

Jennifer sighed and stared out of the round window. Like most of the windows of the New York Sanctum, it offered a charming view of the city. Jennifer could see pedestrians wandering up and down the streets, some with newspapers or hot dogs in their hands, whilst others texted on their cell phones and still others tried to sip their coffees as they dashed to work. A few cars zoomed past—mainly the iconic yellow taxis seeking a short cut to their destinations. She tapped her fingers idly against the glass, taking care not to shatter the pane with her incredible strength.

_If I don’t find something to do, I might just die of boredom._

Well, she didn’t blame herself for being bored. Usually, staying in New York City would bring some level of excitement—visits to her friends such as Sue Storm or Wanda Maximoff; sightseeing; viewing something on Broadway or just browsing the shops. Shopping was always a good plan. As She-Hulk, she always struggled to find clothes that fitted nicely or suited her unusual skin-tone. She often ended up having to get her clothes custom made, which cost a fortune.

However, she had been strictly prohibited from going anywhere outside the New York Sanctum. She gritted her teeth as she remembered the conversation she’d had with her cousin.

_“You can’t be serious, Bruce?!” she cried as she jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over the coffee table as she did so._

_Her cousin, Bruce Banner, adjusted his glasses as he spoke. “I’m afraid that this is the best plan we could come up with.”_

_“Really? A group of genii try to make a plan and the best you can come with is _to lock me away_? Here?!”_

_“Here” was the “_New York Sanctum”—_the home of Stephen Strange, the self-proclaimed, “Sorcerer Supreme”, though Jennifer wasn’t sure exactly what that meant._

_When the other doctors had failed to figure out what was wrong with her, she’d been very surprised when Tony Stark had suggested that they’d ask Dr Strange for help—she hadn’t known that Tony knew the sorcerer. But, after they’d agreed to the suggestion, Tony had driven them to a beautiful building that was a marvel of architecture, with old-fashioned brick work; enormous, round windows and gleaming jade tiles on the roof. Tony had knocked on the door and Dr Strange had answered. That was when Jennifer had gotten her first real look at the sorcerer. He was a tall man, though still not as tall as she was, with dark hair touched with silver and a neatly-trimmed goatee. She also noticed that there were a number of faint scars on his hands. His red cloak flitted back and forth, though there was no breeze to speak of. But, it was his eyes that really caught Jennifer’s attention—they were an incredible shade of blue. _

_Dr Strange did not look very pleased to see them, but that might have been because Tony had greeted him with the words: “Put away the cauldron, Harry Potter. We need to talk.”_

_Dr Strange had gritted his teeth, and invited them in. Jennifer had seen that the interior of the New York Sanctuary was as elegant as the exterior. She could appreciate the graceful furniture filling the rooms, intricate patterns on the wooden floors and the ornate panelling in varying shades of blue, green or brown. The entire place had an exotic feel to the décor that she rather liked._

_Dr Strange had led them into a small side room, and left them there while he spoke to Tony in private. Then, Bruce had taken the opportunity to reveal his brilliant plan to her. _

_“We’re not locking you away,” Bruce said._

_“It looks like it,” she snapped._

_She saw the flash of green in her cousin’s eyes and bared her teeth. His pulse meter beeped dangerously and she half-hoped that Bruce would lose his temper. Then, her scrawny, nerdy-looking cousin would change into the green angry behemoth called “Hulk” and she could take out her frustrations on him. Though, the New York Sanctum probably wouldn’t survive a full-out fight between the two of them._

_“Jennifer, it’s for your own good,” Bruce said as he took a few deep breaths to get himself under control. _

_“I’ve heard that before,” she muttered, but Bruce didn’t seem to hear her. _

_“We need to find out why you suddenly transformed during the last mission. One minute you were holding up the debris, the next . . .”_

_He trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. During the mission, she’d spotted something out of the corner of her eye . . . something that had looked like—anyway, she’d freaked out, “de-hulked” and had nearly been crushed beneath the debris. If Captain Marvel hadn’t intervened, Jennifer knew that she’d probably be dead._

_“Bruce,” Jennifer swallowed hard. “It was a once-off thing. I won’t let it happen again.”_

I can’t.

_“I know, Jen. But, it’s other things. The way you won’t go near electronic devices any more, the way you’re always so jumpy . . .” he laid a hand on her arm. “I just want you to get better.”_

_“I know,” Jennifer said. She patted his hand and then playfully ruffled his hair._

_He dodged and swatted her away._

_Then, the door creaked open and Dr Strange and Tony returned._

_“All right, so here’s the deal. Dr Strange has agreed to let Jennifer stay here while he does some tests and figures out what’s wrong with her._

_“Really?” Bruce looked at Dr Strange in surprise._

_“_ _Yes, though I still don’t see why I’m involved in this,” he said in that rich voice of his._

_Tony shrugged. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you?” _

_“_

_I’m a _neurosurgeon,”_ Dr Strange said flatly._

_Tony waved his hand dismissively. “It’s pretty much the same thing.”_

_Dr Strange’s eyes flashed dangerously and Bruce quickly intervened before Tony could get himself turned into a goat or something. “We’ve asked for your help since none of our medics have found anything wrong with Jen,” Bruce said. _

_“That’s because there isn’t anything wrong with me,” she muttered, but Bruce ignored her again._

_“So, you think that I might be able to find out what’s wrong with Ms Walters?”_

_“_ _It’s worth a try. After all, no one else has been able to help and you have a reputation for solving difficult cases. ”_

_“But, why do I need to stay in this place?” Jennifer asked. “I could just stay at the Avengers Tower and visit Dr Bizarre for any tests he wants to do.”_

_“My name is “Dr. Strange”,” he said coolly._

_“_ _It would be awesome for you to have stayed at the tower,” Tony said, “but unfortunately it’s undergoing major repairs after the incident with that bulb-headed screwball.”_

_Jennifer went cold. She felt her knees shake._

_“I’m not worried,” she forced the confidence into her voice._

_“_ _Jen, the Leader is still at large and until we have him in custody, it’s safer for you to remain hidden,” Bruce said._

_“I can handle that puny man. Anyway, it’s you he really wants.”_

_“Which is why I’m going into hiding as well.”_

_“What?”_

_Bruce shrugged. “Natasha and Clint have made some suggestions about where we can hide, so I’ll go with them for a while.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“Who’s the Leader?” Dr Strange asked, but no one answered him. _

_“Besides,” Bruce’s eyes were solid green and his pulse meter beeped loudly. “I’m hoping that I’ll have a chance to even the score with the Leader when I see him again.”_

_Tony cleared his throat. “Bruce, you might want to take it down a notch? Or do I have to fetch the yoga mat from the car?”_

_Bruce gave him a look. “Very funny.”_

_“I thought it was,” Jennifer said and then she added, “So, you just want me to stay here?”_

_“For a while,” Tony said._

_Then, Tony’s phone rang and he immediately answered it._

_“Hi, sweetheart. Daddy can’t really talk right now . . . yes, yes, I promise I’ll be home soon. Tell Mommy not to worry. . . yes, I’ll be there, I promise. . . I love you three thousand.”_

_He hung up and looked at the others. “Are we done here? I just promised Morgan and Pepper that I’d be home for dinner.”_

_"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you leave _immediately,” Dr Strange said.

_Tony either didn’t hear the irritation in Dr Strange’s voice or didn’t care. He tucked his phone away as he said “So, it’s settled. Jennifer will stay here until she’s better and we’ve captured the Leader.”_

_Jennifer glanced at Dr Strange. “And, you’re all right with this?”_

_“I owe Tony a favour, so, yes; you’re welcome to stay for a while.”_

_Despite his words, Dr. Strange didn’t look very happy at the thought of having a house guest. Her stomach dropped a little as she realised that living with Dr Strange was going to be a challenge. _

That had been several weeks ago and not much had changed since then. The Leader remained on the loose. Bruce was still in hiding—with Clint and Natasha, apparently—and Tony insisted that she was safer staying at the New York Sanctum until they caught the Leader. During her stay, Dr Strange had given her several medical examinations—though some of them had been utterly bizarre and had involved strange chanting, hand gestures and glowing symbols floating through the air. But, despite all his efforts, Dr Strange hadn’t been able to find anything wrong with her.

Besides the occasions where he’d given her the medical examinations, she hadn’t seen much of the sorcerer. The only time they’d interacted, outside of the examinations, was when he’d flatly told her that she was prohibited from exploring the upper levels of the Sanctum. She’d rolled her eyes at that. As if she—

BANG! A car backfired.

_Jennifer felt the leather straps digging into her ankles. Her skin was stiff from the dried blood and the smell of her own filth filled her nose. The florescent lights beamed straight into her face. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten. She could hear someone moving over to her left, but the restraint around her forehead prevented her from turning her head. A moment later, a person in a biohazard suit, complete with a reflective face mask, appeared beside her. Jennifer’s stomach twisted as she saw the wires in the person’s hands._

_“Let’s continue, Ms Walters,” a voice hissed over the loudspeakers._

_She screamed through her gag as the wires touched her skin._

Jennifer yelled and leapt away from the window. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

_Restraints. Scalpels. Burns. Wires. Pleas. Screams. NomorepleasenomorepleasepleasenomoreIcan’tdothisleavemealonepleasenomoresomeonehelpme._

She hugged herself and took several deep breaths.

_Calm down, Jennifer. There’s nothing to worry about. You are safe. Completely and utterly safe. Nothing can hurt you. _

She repeated the words over and over inside her head until she could breathe again. But, when she looked around the room that Dr Strange had given her, she couldn’t see the elegant four-poster bed, the oak wardrobe or the daybed that was perfectly positioned for enjoying a good book. All she could see was the tiled walls and florescent lights and reflective masks of the people who—

_I need some air, _she thought.

With that, she headed out of her room, and through the corridors.

_If I remember correctly, Wong told me that there was a small courtyard on the rooftop. That might be a nice place to clear my head. _

She knew that Dr Strange had told her to avoid the upper levels, but Wong had shown her a staircase that bypassed the upper levels and went straight to the courtyard on the roof. She took one of the grand staircases by a suit of armour covered in large spikes and headed upwards. It didn’t take her long to reach the top, and when she did, her eyebrows rose. She let out a whistle and put her hands on her hips.

“I don’t think that this is the courtyard,” she said aloud.

She was in a room that most museum curators would sell their souls for. Everywhere she looked were gleaming glass cases displaying all sorts of oddities, from strange compasses that didn’t point North, to glittering amulets and even a human skull. On the walls were weapons from all over the world, such as an Egyptian _kopesh_ or Japanese _sais_.

She walked towards the objects, her curiosity peaking. As she moved past a display case, Jennifer caught sight of her reflection—a green-skinned, muscular woman with forest green hair, jade eyes and curves that most women would kill for. She smirked.

_Still as gorgeous as ever, I see. Though, I doubt I can stop the Abomination by _flirting _with him._

The thought made her shudder and she quickly brought her attention to the rest of the room.

_I guess it couldn’t hurt if I took a look around, _she thought, ignoring the little voice that warned against it. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. In this one, we see things from Stephen's perspective . . . and get a peek into why Jennifer is having psychological problems. 
> 
> This version of the Leader is based on the cartoon series one, though he has been darkened considerably so that he fits in with the tone of the fic. Also, i know that Dr Strange has fought a villain called "Nightmare" but since I'm not familiar with the character, I chose to leave him out of this story. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Stephen sighed as he ran a hand over his face, ignoring the familiar pain running through his hands. He was sure he’d read the same sentence four times and it still didn’t make sense.

_I’m just too tired, _he thought.

But that was hardly surprising. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw a warped, psychedelic landscape and a towering demon that kept—he jerked his thoughts back to the present. It was bad enough that he visited that place when he was asleep—he didn’t need to do it when he was awake as well. The nightmares were pushing him to the point where he’d started researching spells that could help him sleep properly. He hadn’t had much luck, though, since apparently controlling nightmares was not a high priority for most sorcerers. He turned his attention back to the page and frowned as he sensed a presence moving through the upper levels of the New York Sanctum—the areas where people shouldn’t go. It couldn’t be Wong—the man was in Kamar-Taj and was only returning next week.

So, who could possibly be prowling around the upper levels? A hundred possibilities shot through his mind—each worse than the last. The artefacts in the room were all incredibly powerful. If anyone like Mordo retrieved them— He didn’t realise he was running until he burst through gleaming brass doors that led to the upper levels. His eyes immediately went to the intruder: a tall and rather curvaceous figure with cascading green hair; his current house-guest, Ms Jennifer Walters. Ms Walters was inches away from—Stephen went cold as he recognised the black orb.

“Don’t touch that!” he yelled as he frantically cast a spell.

A glittering blue shield appeared between Ms Walters and the orb.

“What the hell?!” she yelled as she jumped back.

He ignored her as he shoved past to inspect the orb. “Honestly, what were you thinking, coming in here?” he demanded.

_Please, don’t be broken. Please, don’t be broken. Please, don’t be broken._

The Orb of Tartarus was one of the most dangerous artefacts he had in here. Contained within it were a number of demons affiliated with, among other things, famine, slaughter, plague, drought and infestation. If any one of them got free, the death toll would be staggering.

Luckily, Stephen couldn’t see any damage to the orb. Its surface gleamed an unblemished black and he could sense the spells holding the demons inside. They ran through the surface of the orb like a spider’s web.

_Still, luck favours the prepared._

He concentrated and traced a few glowing symbols over the orb in order to reinforce the magic containing the demons. Once he was done, he turned back to Ms Walters who looked a little guilty at having been found in the upper levels. 

“I’m sorry, I—” she began, but Stephen cut her off.

“Do you have any idea what you could have done? This orb holds some of the most powerful demons imaginable. And, you nearly released them all!”

“How was I supposed to know that? It’s not like there’s a warning label on it.”

“The whole room is off-limits. That should have been enough reason for you not to go prying around up here. Do you think the world needs to be damned because of your clumsy stupidity?”

Ms Walters narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, let’s get one thing straight. This is the first time that I’ve ever interfered with any of your things. And, like I said, no one told me what that orb was and—”

“And, so you always go snooping through things that don’t belong to you, just because you don’t know what they are?”

“I wasn’t snooping.”

“Then, what were you doing? Looking for make-up?” Stephen saw something dark pass through Jennifer’s eyes.

“I was just trying to get some fresh air, since I’m stuck in this stupid house.”

“Thank your cousin for that, not me.”

“Don’t bring my cousin into this,” she growled.

“I’ll bring in whoever I damn well please since it’s his fault that I’m stuck baby-sitting an over-grown child who lost her common sense when she became She-Hulk?” He knew he’d gone too far the instant the words left his mouth. Ms Walters recoiled like he’d slapped her. Then, she gritted her teeth.

“You know, you’re an asshole.” She marched across the room, and stormed down the staircase. He winced as he heard the ancient wood crack beneath her furious footsteps.

A moment later, the Cloak of Levitation—which Stephen had affectionately nicknamed “Levi”— unwrapped itself from Stephen’s neck and floated in the air in front of him. If Stephen wasn’t mistaken, the cloak almost seemed to be _scolding _him.

“What do you want?”

Levi flicked its collars towards the staircase where Ms Walters had left and then back to Stephen.

“It’s not my fault,” he protested, though his conscience pricked as he spoke, “she shouldn’t have been prying around here.”

Levi continued to float disapprovingly in the air and Stephen sighed. “Fine, I’ll apologise to Ms Walters later.”

Levi gave him a dismissive flick of its hem and floated back into its cabinet. The glass door slammed behind it. He sighed.

_Great, now even my wardrobe is mad at me._

He surveyed the room and flicked his wrist. Immediately, a book with a long list of items appeared in his hand.

“I haven’t taken inventory of this place in a while,” he muttered, well aware that he was avoiding going to apologise to Ms Walters.

The first item was a bundle of scrolls from the Library at Alexandria. Simple enough to check off, since they were resting in their usual place on one of the bookshelves. The next item on the list was the Heart of Kandrakar which he’d seen in one of the display cases. Beside it was the Amulet of Samarkand, which was the next item on the list. There was also the Ring of Barahir and a number of other mystical items.

It was a large inventory and included items such as _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander, a philosopher’s stone and a fan used by one of the eight immortals. He methodically went through each item, checking to see that it was in the correct space, as well as in good condition, and then marking it off. He lost himself in the systematic task. He went to tick off the next item—the Mirror of Erised—when pain shot through his hands. Though he’d learnt to live with the constant pain, too much writing was agony. He dropped his pen and winced as he flexed his fingers. Then, he caught sight of the window. He blinked in shock.

The sky outside was a deep indigo-black in colour and beneath it, New York City glittered, as though adorned with hundreds of diamonds. He could still see people wandering through the streets on their way to restaurants, or theatres, or just heading home after a long day at the office. The noises of traffic, human voices and a few police sirens drifted in through the thick glass.

_New York City really is the city that never sleeps._

He turned away from the window and set down the inventory on a nearby table. He sat down on one of the chairs next to it and rubbed his aching hands. Then he glanced at the inventory beside him.

_I guess I should review the list, just one last time. _

***

_Stephen tried to suck air into his lungs. Each breath was agony. He knew that Dormammu had broken his ribs with the last blow. His legs had also been shattered and the bones protruded from the flesh of his shins. He spat out a mouthful of blood and wondered why the hell he wasn’t dead yet._

_Oh, right. Dormammu was a sadistic demonic entity that liked to torture people. _

_DID YOU THINK THAT YOU EVER HAD A HOPE OF DEFEATING ME? YOU PATHETIC HUMAN._

_Dormammu made a gesture and Strange screamed as two of his vertebrae shattered._

_YOU ARE NOTHING._

Stephen let out a yell and instinctively cast a spell. A shield formed from blue light surrounded him as he tried to remember where he was. The light gleamed off the display cases around him and he sagged back in the chair. He wasn’t in the Dark Dimension. There was no Dormammu here. He’d just fallen asleep on the chair again. He pressed his face into his hands and felt the cold sweat on his skin. Memories clawed their way to the surface of his thoughts.

_Punctured lungs. Shattered bones. Blood leaking out of his mouth. Vivisection._

_NomorepleasenomorepleasepleasenomoreIcan’tdothisleavemealonepleasenomoresomeonehelpme._

His heart slammed into his ribs as he tried to catch his breath and his hands shook so badly he almost couldn’t make the gestures to lower the shield. As soon as it fell, Levi flew over to him and threw itself over his shoulders in what it apparently thought was a comforting gesture.

“Thanks, Levi,” he said as he gently patted the cloak’s collar.

He folded his legs into a comfortable lotus position and rested with his hands palm up on his knees. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. The physical world faded as his sense of the invisible realms grew. He could feel the mystical energies flowing around him. Some were so prominent they were even recognised by science—like magnetic lines. Others were subtler, such as his own aura or the aura of the New York Sanctum. He almost smiled as he connected to it—it was a mystical heartbeat as familiar as his own.

Stephen felt Levi stiffen. Then, it yanked him forward, snapping his concentration and sending him crashing onto the floor.

“What are you doing, Levi?” Stephen demanded, tugging at the cloak that seemed determined to drag him along. Levi ignored him and yanked again. Stephen scowled and undid the cloak. Then, he got to his feet and glared at Levi. It flew frantically through the air. Then, it lunged for Stephen, wrapped around his waist and dragged him towards the stairs.

“Let me go!” Stephen yelled and jerked himself free. Levi swooped down the stairs, then shot back up to him. Down. Up. Down. Up. It kept repeating the movement, and flicking its collars towards the staircase, then back to Stephen, then expectantly back at the staircase.

Stephen sighed. “Stupid, temperamental, flying fabric,” he muttered under his breath as he resigned himself to following the cloak.

Levi snaked through the air in front of him, a red stain against the darkness of the night. The brass lamps on the walls were dim—a sign of how late it really was. Then, a scream ripped through the corridors. Levi shot forward and Stephen swore as he raced after the cloak. He summoned his magic and glowing disks appeared around his hands. Levi took a sharp left and Stephen found himself in front of the rooms he’d loaned to Ms Walters. He hesitated for a moment, remembering their earlier interaction. Then, another scream came from behind the door. Stephen gestured and the lock sprang open. He shoved his way inside and stared. Ms Walters thrashed on the bed—or rather, what was _left_ of the bed. The frame was cracked, one of the four posts was gone, and the other leant at an angle. She was clearly trapped in some form of nightmare and had taken out her terror on the furniture.

“Ms Walters!” he darted forward, determined to wake her before she could hurt herself.

She lashed out again and Stephen barely managed to throw up a shielding spell. Her fist hit his shield and it buckled under the force of her blow.

_That’s not possible. The Shield of Lothlorien is meant to be indestructible. Just how strong is Ms Walters anyway?_

He didn’t really want to find out since her second blow nearly shattered his shield. He jumped back. Levi hovered anxiously above her and kept flicking its collar to Stephen and back.

_I can’t get close enough to wake her. _

Ms Walters let out another cry and something protective rose up in Stephen.

“Oh hell,” he said, as an idea hit him. Before he could change his mind, since this was a _spectacularly_ _bad_ idea, he took a deep breath and threw himself into the astral plane.

Immediately, time slowed and Stephen had the usual impression of being underwater. He watched as his body arched toward the floor and Levi moved through the air to catch him. He flew above Ms Walters as he carefully went through the incantation and hand gestures. As he finished the sequence, a glowing portal appeared above Ms Walters and he flew through it—and into her mind.

_Warm._ That was the first thing he registered. Ms Walter’s mind curled around him like an affectionate housecat. It was a surprisingly comforting feeling. All around him was darkness, but now that he focused, he could see several pinpricks of light—like glowing dust motes—floating around him.

_Surface thoughts, _he realised as he could faintly hear Jennifer’s voice coming from each one. He shooed them away, trying not to touch any of them and looked about.

As he focused on his surroundings, the darkness peeled back to reveal a round room formed from gleaming jade. Blinding white crystals flared to life, revealing deeper shades of green and gold in the intricate carvings on the worked into the stone. Behind him, he noticed a polished staircase leading deeper into her mind.

He braced himself as he walked towards it. As with any spell, this one had its dangers. If he stayed too long, he could begin to forget who he was, or where he was as he melded into the Ms Walter’s mind. Or, she could erase him from existence if she felt threatened by him. And, if his presence came into direct contact with her consciousness, the spell could reverse, and Ms Walters would end up in _his_ mind. Now, there was a scary thought. But, he had to help Ms Walters. She was his patient, after all and he had taken an oath to help people. Though, he doubted that the Hippocratic Oath had been made with this situation in mind. 

Stephen descended the staircase and realised that this was going to be far harder than he’d initially thought. Every few steps, he encountered either a corridor leading to another area of her mind, or a staircase that spiraled off in a different direction. The coloured dust motes still followed him, hovering just above his head. He paused to shoo them away again, and frowned. He wasn’t entirely certain what he’d expected, if he was honest. There were so many theories about how the mind and soul worked—from the Ancient Greek ideas of the four humours to Freud’s ideas about the id, ego and super-ego. It was impossible to say which idea would help him navigate the labyrinth of Jennifer’s mind. What if he—he smacked himself in the forehead.

_Stephen, you’re a _neurosurgeon_. You should know how a bloody brain is structured—and the mind must correspond in some way to the structure of the brain. Thank God, Tony Stark wasn’t here to witness your idiocy or you’d never hear the end of it. _He focused his thoughts. _What I’m looking for is the limbric system—specifically the amygdala that processes the emotion of fear. That should be the source of her nightmares—and that’s where I need to go. _ Stephen headed down the stairs to his left, feeling rather satisfied with his reasoning.

As he descended, he noticed images moving across the surface of the walls—images that changed even as he tried to get a better look at them. He paused and stared at one. It was an image of a huge crater in the middle of a road—a road that looked as shattered as an eggshell. The surrounding building weren’t much better off, since he could see that huge chunks of the structures were missing. Debris, smashed cars and broken streetlamps surrounded the crater and there were no signs of life. Then, he revised that assessment as he noticed a woman scrambling over a broken car. She had short, mousey hair, her business suit was coated in grime, and the one sleeve had a long tear running through it. She was missing one of her heels and several buttons from her blazer. But, she didn’t seem to care as she looked about frantically.

She slid off the car’s bonnet and he saw her eyes widen as she noticed the crater. She tried to run forward, and swore as she almost tripped over her own feet.

_I know that voice, _Stephen thought as he realised he was looking at a non-hulked out Ms Walters. As he watched, she sat on a nearby piece of concrete, yanked off her heel and tossed it aside.

“They’re gorgeous shoes, but right now they’re not doing me any favours,” Stephen heard her mutter and he chuckled at that.

Then, she raced towards the crater. As she reached the edge, Stephen could clearly see what was at the bottom—a half-naked man covered in dirt and groaning.

“Bruce,” Ms Walters breathed.

She sat down on the edge of the crater, indifferent to the dirt she was getting on her suit and then slid to the bottom. She crawled over to her cousin.

“Bruce?” she called again. He didn’t respond, though Stephen could see his chest rising and falling.

Ms Walters smoothed back his hair and then pulled off her blazer. She draped it across him and then shook Bruce’s shoulder.

“Hey cous, this isn’t any place to take a nap. Let’s get you out of here.”

Bruce cracked open an eyelid and let out another groan.

“Hey, I’m not that ugly,” she joked weakly.

_No, you’re not, either as She-Hulk, or like this_, the thought shot across Stephen’s mind, but before he could examine it, the image of Ms Walters spoke again.

“Come on, easy does it,” Ms Walters coaxed as she tried to help Bruce sit up. Stephen wondered why she didn’t just transform and carry him out of the crater. Then, he realised that this was Ms Walters before she became the She Hulk.

“Jen? What are you doing here?” Bruce clutched his head as he spoke.

Stephen could see he was shaking badly.

“I heard the news on the radio and I came as fast as I could,” she said as she checked him for injuries.

“How did you know it was me?”

Ms Walters raised an eyebrow. “The radio said that there was a big green giant being chased by the military and you’re the only green giant I know, so . . .”

He shook his head. “You can’t be here . . . It’s not safe. General Ross will—”

“He can kiss my ass. I’m not leaving you behind. Now, can you walk? We need to get moving,” she said, as she threw Bruce’s arm over her shoulders.

“Jen, please. You have to—”

“I’m not leaving without you,” she snapped as the two of them stood up, with Ms Walters taking a large portion of his weight, and they stumbled to the edge of the crater.

Stephen looked away, embarrassed at having seen such a personal memory. “All, right, get it together, Strange. You’re not here to pry into her memories,” he said to himself. “You’re looking for Ms Walters—or have you forgotten that she’s still trapped in her nightmare?”

Even as he said it, the room around him shifted. A gaping archway, like a huge maw, appeared. For some reason, the sight of it sent a cold quiver down his spine.

“I guess that’s where I’m going . . .” He muttered, and stepped through the archway. 

As soon as he passed through, Stephen noticed the temperature drop. His breath formed tiny jets of mist in front of his face. He summoned glowing symbols, but they made little difference to the darkness around him. He walked a few steps, then paused.

“Where are you, Ms Walters?” he muttered.

As though his words had activated it, a huge cinema-sized screen flickered to life above him. On it was the feed from some form of a medical lab—but the sight of it made his stomach roil. The room was completely tiled, from floor to ceiling and there were several drains built into the floor. There was a metal counter running through the room and upon it were all sorts of tools—Bunsen burners, scalpels, drills, tongs, a generator, and hammers of assorted sizes. Near the counter was a metal table with a woman strapped to it. It took a moment for him to recognise the pale woman as Ms Walters. From the feed, he could see several deep scars patterning her skin and there was dried blood crusted on the leather straps that held her in place. Someone had gagged her and had even put restraints to hold her head in place.

As he watched, three figures entered the room. Each wore a biohazard suit with a reflective face-mask that covered their entire faces. Ms Walters watched them warily, but they ignored her. One of the figures grabbed the wires protruding from the generator. The person hit a button and the machine whirred to life even as the colour drained from Ms Walters’ face. She struggled, but the restraints were too tight. The person crossed the room and pressed the wires to her skin. Ms Walters screamed through the gag. The person ignored her screams and repeated the action. Over. And over. And over. Stephen wanted to look away but something held him in place.

“I do hope that you’re enjoying the video, Ms Walters. It’s one of the better ones.” The voice came from somewhere behind Stephen. He spun around again and noticed the rest of the room—or rather the captive in the centre of the room. Ms Walters dangled from a set of manacles around her wrists—presumably made from adamantium or something similarly strong—and there were manacles around her ankles as well. Around her neck was a thick black collar. Considering that Ms Walters wasn’t “hulked-out”, he guessed that the collar had some form of power inhibitor built into it. His eyes moved over her. In that moment, Stephen hated his medical training as he automatically catalogued everything that was wrong with Ms Walters.

_Her skin is covered with scarring, never mind the purple and maroon bruising everywhere. There are also several, round burn scars where they applied electroshock torture. The tendons at the back of her legs have been slashed to prevent her trying to run. Some of the wounds are red and swollen, so there is an obvious infection. Her eyes are clear, so she hasn’t got a fever just yet, but it’s only a matter of time if the infection isn’t treated. Malnutrition, you can tell that from how underweight she is. The black rings around her eyes are symptoms of severe exhaustion. She can’t have gotten more than one or two hours of rest a night—if any. _All the typical signs of physical and psychological torture.

“I’ve seen better,” Ms Walters—Jennifer—said flatly as she raised her eyes to look at the speaker.

Stephen’s eyes followed hers to a raised dais over to his left. Floating above it was a number of holographic screens. Some of them displayed calculations, whilst others showed detailed two-dimensional and three-dimensional diagrams. Still others showed what appeared to be feeds from security cameras. In the centre of this holographic whirlwind stood a man—at least, it looked like rough caricature of a man. His limbs were twig-thin, yet he had an enormous, bulbous head. Like the Hulk, he had green skin, but this was a sickly green colour—unlike the rather beautiful shade Jennifer usually had—and clashed horribly with the orange jumpsuit he wore.

“Ms Walters, right now I’m finding your comments rather annoying.”

“Really? I thought it was quite cle—”

The man tapped one of the floating keypads and Jennifer cried out. “Don’t be cheeky, Ms Walters. It won’t do you any good. So says the Leader.”

_The Leader_? Stephen had a vague memory of Bruce, Tony and Jennifer discussing someone called “the Leader” when Jennifer first came to the New York Sanctum. Could this be the man? Stephen decided he’d ask Tony about it later. He raised his hands to cast a spell—and froze.

Surrounding him were creatures, all lying utterly still as though in a trance. They were malformed, twisted things that looked as though some child had taken the basic shapes of animals and exaggerated their most deadly features. He could see oversized jaws with rows of razor teeth; enormous talons; raised, blade-like ridges and protruding tusks.

_There’s no way I could fight my way through all of them. And they’d notice if I started any spells to restrain them._

He flexed a few fingers and allowed a subtle cloaking spell to settle over his skin. Then, he cautiously made his way through the mess of monsters towards the dais. If he could deactivate the dais, it should create the diversion he needed for him to free Jennifer.

As Stephen moved though the room, the Leader leant towards Jennifer, his eyes alight. “Ms Walters, we’ve been through this. Just tell me where your cousin keeps his research and I’ll let you go. So says the Leader.”

“No. I know what you want to do with Bruce’s research. You want to re-create the “Hulk” experiment.”

“Close. Though, your versions of the “Hulk” leave a lot to be desired. I want to create something improved. An army of super strong, highly intelligent beings.”

“And, you’ll use them to crush whoever stands in your way.” She shook her head. “Sorry, but I’m not going to let that happen.”

“You realise that I’ll solve the problem eventually. Your cousin’s research will merely save me time.” Jennifer barked a bitter laugh.

“Fuck off,” she said.

She let out another cry as the Leader tapped one of the buttons again.

“I’d be very careful, Ms Walters. Right now you’re at my mercy.” The Leader tutted and said, “Look at you. You’re pathetic, weak . . . You’re nothing. I suggest that you give me what I want and then you can walk away from this.”

For a moment, the only sound was Jennifer’s ragged breathing. Then, she mumbled something.

The Leader frowned. “What was that?”

“You’ll never figure out Bruce’s research. His natural intelligence will always be greater than yours. Even your gamma-enhanced brain can’t keep up with him. Face it, Sterns, no matter what you do, you’ll always be second best.”

He spun a dial and Jennifer screamed as he hit another button.

Stephen reacted before he realised it. He fired a blast straight at the Leader, knocking him away from the control panel. Immediately he heard snarling all around him and realised he’d lost his cloaking spell.

“Fuck,” he swore as the creatures lunged at him.

The creatures were fast—faster than he’d expected. He dodged one set of snapping jaws, swerved away from a second and ducked as a third creature nearly decapitated him. He fired off a blast of magic, spun around and froze the two behind him. Something slammed into Stephen, knocking him off his feet. He tumbled, straight into a roll and back onto his feet, only to barely avoid a set of talons. He rammed his elbow into the creature’s skull and then fired a blast at another creature that had appeared over to his left. Two more took its place, and Stephen blasted them both before having to jump aside to avoid the one creature’s claws. He rammed his fist into the soft underbelly of one of the creatures and hissed in pain.

Damn the surgeries he’d had on his hands. He shook his hand to try and regain the feeling and was forced back as the creatures slashed at him. 

“Don’t waste your time,” the Leader said. “I have hundreds of these mindless beasts

And—”

“Shut up,” Stephen snarled and fired off a blast at the Leader who yelped and jumped aside to avoid it.

Stephen could feel his magic weakening. His next lightning spell only brought down two of the creatures, instead of the dozen he’d hoped for. Still, he fought on, casting spell after spell in rapid succession. One of the creatures slashed at his face. He ducked, swiped the legs out from one of the creatures and slammed his palm into the floor. It dissolved into a liquid, making the creatures sink and then he solidified it—killing them instantly. He felt his legs shaking from his exhaustion.

Then, something collided with him. He tumbled, trying to cast a flame spell, but the creature sunk its fangs into Stephen’s flesh. He bellowed in pain as another creature latched onto him as well. He could see the Leader watching him out of the corner of his eye.

“So now you die. So says the Leader,” he said.

“Sterns, leave him alone!” Jennifer’s voice cut sharply through the commotion.

Stephen turned his head and saw that she that she was trying to free herself . . . in order to help him.

“Or what, Ms Walters?”

“Or you’ll make me_ angry_. And you really won’t like me when I’m angry.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

The Leader shrugged and looked at Stephen. “Any last words? I’d ask you to make them memorable, but I don’t particularly care at this point.”

“Yeah. You gambled—and lost.” Stephen took aim and fired another spell with the last of his strength. The glowing light snaked through the air—and smashed into Jennifer’s collar. It shattered, pieces flying in all directions. The Leader went pale.

“No,” he breathed as he backed away.

“Oh, _yes_,” Jennifer snarled, her eyes glowing. Green gushed across her skin. Her bruises and burns vanished. Stephen could see her muscles swelling beneath her skin. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders and darkened to a gorgeous shade of forest green. She looked up and her eyes fixed on the moorings that held her captive. She gritted her teeth and yanked her arms downwards. The chains went taut and Stephen heard the metal groan as it tried to hold her. Cracks appeared in the ceiling and dust rained down upon their heads. The creatures whined and backed away from her. Then, there was a massive boom and the moorings came crashing down, along with huge chunks of the ceiling.

Jennifer fell to all fours, panting hard.

“Kill her!” the Leader barked the order at the creatures.

They charged towards her, forgetting about Stephen in the process. One leapt towards her. She looked up and smacked it out of the air. Two more lunged for her and she took them out with sharp, precise blows to their heads. She grabbed another one of the monsters and hurled it at the others that approached. Then, she sprang to her feet as one of the creatures tried to sink its teeth into her. Its fangs didn’t even pierce her skin. She coolly tossed it at another of the monsters. Then, she took a proper grip of each chain in each hand. She swung the one and the concrete flew through the air like a wrecking ball. It smashed through the creatures and Stephen flinched as he heard bone shatter and pained yelps. The second chain joined it and the creatures scrambled to avoid the deadly links. Some of them got close to Stephen, but precise strikes from Jennifer’s chains kept them at bay.

The chains moved in deadly arcs, smashing into the creatures over and over again. Yet, there seemed to be no end to the horde of monsters. And, worse, Stephen noticed that the creatures seemed to be learning as they started evading Jennifer’s attacks.

“Looks like your party trick has stopped working,” the Leader said.

“I really wish you’d shut up,” Stephen muttered.

“I agree with Dr Uncanny. And, I guess that means I need to try something new,” Jennifer said.

She released the chains and grabbed a hold of the manacles. She ripped them off her wrists and did the same for the ones around her ankles. Then, she straightened. Her eyes focused on the Leader and she cracked her knuckles. The Leader swallowed hard and his eyes snapped to Stephen.

“Get him!”

The creatures raced towards Stephen. He tried to summon his magic, but he was utterly spent. As one leapt towards him, a green fist blurred through the air, knocking the monster away. Jennifer stepped between Stephen and the creatures.

“Cover your ears,” she told him and Stephen quickly obeyed. 

She slammed her palms together and a wall of sound exploded outwards. Stephen’s jaw dropped.

_She can create sonic booms? Since when was that one of her powers?_

The creatures flew in all directions, some smacking into the walls, whilst one or two smashed into the giant screen. They lay there, twitching in pain from what Stephen guessed were burst eardrums. Even the Leader collapsed, clutching his ears—though, he got to his feet moments later.

Jennifer narrowed her eyes. “Why are you still moving, huh?”

“I wear earplugs,” the Leader retorted. “I’m always prepared.”

“I hope that you’re prepared for pain,” she growled.

The Leader watched her approach with growing horror. He scrambled in his belt for something. He drew out a gun and fired off a few shots. The first missed her but the second hit Jennifer straight in the chest. She grunted and staggered back—only to raise her head and smirk at him.

“You’re going to have to do a lot better than that,” she said.

“I can see that.” The Leader said. “Well, Ms Walters, it’s been a pleasant experience, but I must leave you now.”

Jennifer lunged for him, but the Leader hit a button on his jumpsuit and dissolved into a shower of green and gold sparks.

“What the hell?” Jennifer demanded as she stared at the empty air where the Leader had been.

“Teleporter,” Stephen said.

“Coward,” she muttered and turned away from the spot where the Leader had been.

Sadness spread across her face as she looked at the dozens of dead creatures around them.

“The poor things.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t leave us a choice,” Stephen pointed out. “They would have killed us if we hadn’t fought back.”

“I hate killing things though,” she said, to his surprise.

“Me too,” he said as he tried to get to his feet. Jennifer frowned at him.

“Are you all right, Dr Weird?”

“It’s ‘Strange’.” He muttered and she grinned at him.

“I know.”

That’s when he realised two things: Jennifer knew his name and had just been messing with him the whole time. Two: She had a dazzling smile—the kind that made his heart hammer in his chest.

Before Stephen could do anything, Jennifer crossed the room and reached out to help him to his feet.

“No, don’t—”

Too late. Jennifer’s fingertips brushed his skin and the world went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I wanted to show Stephen's arrogance and his "asshole" side, as well as his caring and protective side. As for Jennifer, I wanted to show both vulnerability and strength here. I hope it came across. 
> 
> Also I couldn't resist referencing the 1980s "Incredible Hulk" TV series. :D And several of the artifacts in the Sanctum come from different shows and books--I wonder if anyone will catch all the references.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. In this one we get a chance to see what's really tormenting Stephen . . . .

_Warmth. Comfort. Peace. _The feelings blanketed Jennifer and she welcomed them. She couldn’t quite remember when she had last felt so safe. She smiled and opened her eyes. Even with her eyes open, it was dark. The only light came from the few glowing dust motes floating around her. Strangely, she could hear a voice coming from the motes. She reached out and gently touched one with the tip of her finger.

Dr Strange’s voice boomed around her.

_Damnit, she reversed the spell when she touched me. Now, she’s inside my mind and—_

“What?!” Jennifer yelled as she jumped away from the floating lights. “Are you telling me that I’m inside _Dr Strange’s mind?”_

Of course, no one answered her. The dust motes flew closer to her and now she could clearly recognise the sorcerer’s rich voice coming from the motes. She waved them away and her hand brushed one of them again.

Agony. Blistering agony shot through her hands. She yelled and doubled over, clutching her hands to her chest. She looked down, wondering what had happened, and her eyes went wide. Superimposed over her own green digits were another set of hands—the familiar scarred hands of Dr Strange. As she watched, the image of his hands faded and with them, the pain.

_What the hell? _She thought, as she tried to work out what happened.

Then, she remembered something Bruce had told her about Dr Strange—that the doctor had been forced to give up being a neurosurgeon because he’d had surgery on his hands.

_Is he always in such pain from the surgeries? No wonder he’s always irritable . . . what if— Come, on, Jen. Focus. Stop wondering about his hands and start thinking about to get out of here._

She took a deep breath and tried to think. She could figure this out. She’d been in worse situations before. Though, this may be the _weirdest_ situation that she’d ever been in. She was in Dr Strange’s mind—so how the hell was she supposed to get out of here?

_If I’m in the doctor’s mind, then I should be able to find the doctor and get him to send me out of here. After all, I don’t think he wants me inside his head anymore than I want to be here._

As the thought crossed her mind, the darkness withdrew and she saw that she was in the centre of a beautiful panelled room. Amber lamps filled the space with warm light and she could see intricate patterns worked into the wood, similar to the patterns on the carpeted floor. Directly in front of her was a staircase with a wrought-iron railing leading downwards.

“All right, I guess I’m going down,” she said.

She headed down the stairs, her feet sinking into the soft carpeting on the staircase. The glowing dust motes followed her, and she kept shooing them away, being careful not to touch them again. On either side of her, glowing golden portals appeared. She could see odd things through the portals—rooms filled with shelves that had shimmering orbs on each shelf; rooms filled with dozens of floating screens; rooms that had lots of silk and satin drapings where the air inside smelt of spice—but none of them held any sign of Dr Strange.

Then, she noticed that the panelled walls weren’t plain like she’d first thought. They were covered in images that kept shifting and changing. She paused in front of one. It was a filthy alleyway filled with broken crates, overturned garbage cans and soiled rags. A few shards of glass gleamed in the fading light and there was foul water seeping into the street. As she watched, a man picked his way through the alley—and honestly he didn’t look much better than his surroundings. He wore a torn, raggedy jacket, fraying trousers and a broken watch on one wrist. His hair and beard were unkempt and there were small cuts on his face, as though he’d tried to shave and failed several times. Then, she recognised his eyes. It was Dr Strange.

She didn’t have time to wonder why the doctor looked like such a mess, as she saw a stray dog slink past the doctor and bury its snout in the garbage. As it ate, she noticed that it was limping badly. Dr Strange apparently noticed it too. He paused and knelt down, his eyes fixed on the stray.

He whistled and held out his hand.

“Hey, come here. It’s all right, come here,” Jennifer blinked at the gentleness in his voice.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Come on, easy does it.”

The dog lifted its head. After a long moment, it cautiously approached Dr Strange. It sniffed the doctor’s outstretched hand, and he gently scratched it behind the ears. The stray whined in pleasure and the doctor moved closer to it. He grabbed a piece of broken crate with his free hand, placed it close to him and then tore off a strip from his shirt.

“Now, Hold still, this might be a bit uncomfortable,” Dr Strange said.

The dog pushed against his hand, evidently enjoying head scratch. The doctor pulled his hand away and took a firm grip on the injured leg. The dog whined and squirmed, but the doctor held it in place. With practiced ease, he aligned the leg with the piece of wooden crate and bound it to create a strong splint. Jennifer was impressed as she saw that the splint was tied in such a way that it would fall apart once the leg had healed.

Then he released the stray. The dog leapt away from Dr Strange . . . and then cautiously approached a few seconds later, its tail wagging.

“Yeah, I know it wasn’t nice. But, you’ll recover better this way, I promise.” The dog nuzzled him and Dr Strange obliged by scratching the dog behind the ears again. “Oh, so you like me now? Wait until you get the bill . . .”

Jennifer chuckled and looked away. Who would have thought that the stern sorcerer had a soft side? Or a sense of humour? She continued down the stairway, but still no sign of Dr Strange. Jennifer gritted her teeth. 

“Well, Dr Unusual, where the hell are you?”

Silence. Then she felt a breeze on the back of her neck. She spun around. Floating behind her was a golden portal—but unlike the others, this one made her hair stand on end. A cold mist with a foul odour seeped out from the portal.

She shuddered and let out a sigh. “I’m guessing that Dr Strange is in there?”

She didn’t get an answer, other than the portal glowing brighter. She decided to take that as a yes and stepped through.

She blinked. The landscape around her was bizarre—like something out of an LSD trip. Everything was formed from black rocks with psychedelic colours running through them. Boulders nestled between sharp stalactites and every surface she could see had razor edges—the kind that could tear through flesh. There was no single source of light, but rather everything glowed in sickly neon shades. The air reeked and she coughed several times as she made her way forward. She could hear rumbling sounds in the distance—like far off explosions. But, she couldn’t see any sign of an annoying sorcerer with a red cloak. Though, to be fair, he wasn’t always annoying—he’d really helped her out with the Leader. And, the something about the creepiness of this place made her worry about him.

“He can’t have gotten far.” She muttered.

A yell ripped through the air. A familiar yell coming from over to her left.

“Shit!” she swore and raced towards the sound.

There was a huge stack of boulders and the yell had come from behind them. She didn’t bother trying to find a way around—instead she leapt, her strong legs sending her soaring upwards. She landed lightly on the other side. Her stomach heaved as she processed the scene. Dr Strange—Stephen—lay on the floor, skewered by at least a dozen spikes. Blood gushed from his wounds and pooled beneath him.

He sucked in a breath and coughed blood as he said “I want . . . a bargain.” Jennifer ran forward, determined to tear him free. 

A cold laugh filled the air and a blast smashed into the ground in front of her, sending her flying backwards. She rolled to her feet, looked up and gaped. Towering over her was a demon—a demon with black, rock-like skin and flames forming a bloody halo around his head. His purple eyes glowed and she went cold as she saw the malice in them.

DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU HAD THE POWER TO BARGAIN WITH ME? I AM IMMORTAL AND YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN INSECT IN MY PATH. TORTURING YOU WILL PROVIDE ME WITH ETERNAL ENTERTAINMENT—BUT WHY RUSH THINGS?

“Dormmamu I—” Stephen screamed as Dormammu gestured. Indigo flames surged across his skin. Jennifer chocked on the smell of cooking flesh and Dormammu laughed.

She looked about. A boulder. She needed a damn—there. Not too far away was a giant rock made from the same psychedelic stone as everything else. She lifted it up and hurled it at Dormammu. He didn’t even blink as it shattered against his skin—though Jennifer was happy to see the flames around Stephen disappeared.

“Hey, ugly!” she yelled. “How about you come down here so I can rip you apart?” She grabbed another rock—a larger one—and this one hit him squarely in the forehead.

YOU’RE NOT WORTH MY TIME

He backhanded her and Jennifer went flying. She crashed into the side of a mountain, sending an avalanche of rock crashing down ontop of her. She tried to stand and swore as she realised the rock had her pinned. She gritted her teeth, and yanked her fist free. Then, she heard Stephen scream again.

_No!_

She smashed her way out of the rocks and raced back towards the demon. Once again, she jumped, relying on her strength to send her soaring through the air and to land directly in front of Dormammu. The demon blinked in surprise.

“You’re going to have to do better than that,” she snarled.

Her eyes moved to Stephen and something inside her twisted. He was still pinned in place by those awful spikes—only now there were black hooks digging into the flesh of his hands.

HUMAN, YOU ARE—

Jennifer grabbed another boulder and hurled it at Dormammu. This time, the demon staggered backwards. Jennifer charged at him and leapt aside as Dormammu brought his fist down on the point where she’d been standing.

“Eat this,” she snarled, slamming both fists into Dormmamu’s hand with all her strength. He cried out. Before he could withdraw his hand, Jennifer leapt on top of his arm, slamming her fists down again and again. The black skin cracked and Dormammu roared in pain.

YOU PATHETIC HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU!

“I dare plenty,” she snapped, as she saw something move from the corner of her eye. Dozens of spikes levitated from the ground and shot towards her like javelins. She dodged the first two, smashed a third and then batted aside the fourth. But the next one slammed directly into her chest. She fell and crashed into the ground. For a second, the world spun and Jennifer was grateful that she was indestructible.

DIE HUMAN.

Jennifer threw herself aside as a blast smashed into where she had been lying, reducing the area to ash. She grabbed another rock, ready to fling it at Dormammu when a jet of flame engulfed her. She screamed. The fire roared, biting deep into her skin and muscle. She was being burnt alive and—

“Dormammu, stop! Leave her alone!”

Jennifer sagged and she lay there as her healing factor repaired her charred body.

Then, another cold laugh chilled her to the marrow.

YOU THINK YOU CAN ORDER ME ABOUT, SORCERER? YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO MY POWER.

She forced herself to look up. The sorcerer thrashed and yelled as the hooks moved and his skin peeled back to reveal glistening, bloody flesh.

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO. YOU WANT TO PROTECT HER. JUST LIKE YOU TRY SO DESPERATELY TO PROTECT THOSE FOOLISH PEOPLE ON EARTH BUT YOU’VE FAILED. AS YOU ALWAYS DO.

“No . . .” Stephen chocked out the words.

Jennifer got to her feet and grabbed one of the stalagmites. She snapped it free from the ground and yelled “Ugly! Over here!”

Dormammu looked at her and Jennifer flung the spike like a javelin directly into Dormammu’s eye. He cried out and then she slammed her palms together. The sonic boom exploded outwards and crashed into Dormammu and Jennifer smirked as she saw his rocky skin crack.

Then, he brought his palm crashing down on top of her and she barely managed to catch the blow. She grunted, pushed upwards with all her strength—and he didn’t move at all. Her muscles screamed as she fought to hold off the demon. Dormammu pressed down harder. She sweat streamed off her skin and she couldn’t breathe as she fought to keep the blow from crushing her. She sank to one knee.

“Stop!” she heard Stephen cry out.

Dormmamu laughed.

SHE’S JUST DELAYING THE INEVITABLE. ONCE I GET BORED OF HER, I’LL CONTINUE WITH YOU. YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE, WIZARD. I CAN KILL WHOEVER I PLEASE.

Jennifer braced herself as she felt Dormammu’s power gathering. She glanced over at Stephen. He lay on the floor, his blue eyes half-closed as he mumbled something under his breath—something that seemed like a spell. The words from a really old cartoon shot through her mind.

_Magic must defeat magic!_

She shifted, putting Dormammu’s fist onto her shoulders and freeing her one hand. Then, she groped around her until she found a rock. She looked at Stephen, took aim and she hurled the rock at the spikes holding him in place. They shattered like spun sugar and he groaned as he lay there. He murmured something under his breath and light spread across his skin.

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? FOOLISH HUMAN!

Suddenly, Dormammu pushed down harder and Jennifer cried out. She could feel the pressure on her bones. She couldn’t hold it and—there was a blinding flash of light, Dormammu yelled and his fist drew back. She collapsed, and tried to suck air into her crushed lungs.

“Dormammu! Let’s end this!”

Jennifer looked up and blinked in shock. Stephen floated in mid-air. His injuries were gone and the Eye of Agamatto around his neck glowed a dazzling green. An aura of gold light blazed around him. As she watched, he gestured and thousands of symbols etched themselves in the air. The shone like suns and a blast of power slammed into Dormammu.

The demon snarled and sent off a bolt of lightning at the sorcerer. Stephen dodged the bolt, and fired off his own shot of lightning. Dormammu redirected the bolt straight into the rocks by his feet, sending shards shooting through the air like shrapnel. He retaliated with a blast of pure power and Stephen returned fire. Soon, the air crackled with energy, but neither Dormammu nor Stephen seemed able to really injure each other.

YIELD! Dormammu yelled as he sent more lightning at the sorcerer. YOU HAVE NO HOPE OF DEFEATING ME!

“Want to bet on that?” Stephen said.

Stephen glowed and his hands moved elegantly through the air, tracing symbols so fast Jennifer couldn’t even begin to follow. The light around him blazed brighter and brighter until he was completely engulfed. Then, it turned a deep red and Jennifer gaped as it faded into huge, gleaming scales, a massive set of wings, spear-like claws and razor teeth. Then, she recognised those intense blue eyes.

“A _Dragon,” _she said incredulously._ “_He turned himself into a_ dragon?!”_

The dragon bared his teeth at Dormammu and said in Stephen’s rich voice.

“I think you’ll find, Dormammu that I am fire and your death.”

Dormammu sent a bolt of magic at Stephen, who leapt aside. He inhaled deeply and sent a jet of flame at Dormammu. He dodged the fire and blasted the dragon. The magic rebounded off Stephen’s armoured hide. Stephen sent two more fireballs at Dormammu, but the demon disintegrated both of them. He retaliated by sending lightning shooting from his palm at the dragon. Stephen threw himself aside and the lightning shattered the rocks where he’d been standing. But, a second blast sent Stephen stumbling backwards, his talons tearing huge grooves in the ground as he fought to keep his balance.

EVEN LIKE THIS, YOU’RE PATHETIC.

Jennifer looked around for another boulder to throw at Dormammu, but before she could react, Stephen snarled.

“How’s this for _pathetic?”_ he said and sent another jet of flame towards the demon. It slammed straight into Dormammu’s chest and the demon howled in agony. Stephen narrowed his eyes and the flames went white with heat. He advanced slowly on Dormammu and Jennifer could see the air rippling. The rocks around the demon liquidised and he sank into the molten rock. Then, Dormammu slammed his palm on the ground and sharp spikes shot towards Stephen. They shattered against his armoured scales, but his concentration snapped and the flames died.

Dormammu yanked himself free of the molten rock and slammed his fist down, sending a wave of energy towards the dragon. Stephen threw himself into the air. His powerful wings beat, and with each stroke he soared higher and higher. Then, he circled, and sent another fireball at Dormammu, The demon leapt aside and returned his own blast. But, Stephen easily dodged and continued hurling fireballs at Dormammu. Jennifer blinked in surprise—Stephen flew as though he had been born with wings. He swooped and banked and twisted through the air as Dormammu fired bolts of magic at him.

“Too slow, Dormammu,” Stephen taunted as he hit the demon with another fireball.

Dormammu bared his teeth. He swiped at the dragon, but missed completely. Then, his eyes landed on Jennifer.

MAYBE IF I CAN’T DESTROY YOU, I CAN DESTROY YOUR FRIEND INSTEAD?

He raised his palm and took aim at her. Before she could leap aside, Stephen roared, dived and landed on Dormammu’s back. His jaws clamped around Dormammu’s throat. The demon staggered as he tried to dislodge the dragon, but Stephen’s grip was too strong. The demon’s skin crackled with energy, and the dragon snarled with pain, but he didn’t let go. Stephen worked his jaws back and forwards as he scythed through the demon’s neck. Dormammu pounded on the dragon’s head, but his fists rebounded of his scales. Stephen retaliated by using his talons to tear off chunks of rocky flesh from the demon’s body.

Then, suddenly, Stephen jerked his head back and tore out Dormammu’s throat. The demon collapsed and Jennifer saw his body suddenly change into solid, lifeless stone. Stephen flapped twice to get clear of the corpse and then landed. He shook himself and then glowed bright red once again. The massive light shrank and changed to gold, before finally fading. When it disappeared, there was Stephen, lying on all fours, panting. His clothes were smoking and charred, but to her surprise, the injuries from Dormammu’s earlier attacks were gone.

Jennifer let out a massive cheer and raced towards him. He snapped his head up in shock

“Dr Abnormal, that was incredible!” she yelled as she reached him.

“Thanks’,” he muttered and Jennifer could hear the exhaustion in his voice. She reached out to help him, and hesitated, remembering what happened the last time. He didn’t seem to notice as he used the surrounding boulders to climb to his feet. She noticed that he was shaking badly.

“I didn’t know you could turn into a dragon,” she said.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever used that spell, so I’m glad it worked.”

“It was pretty impressive.”

He gave her a tired smile. “Not as impressive as your ability to create sonic booms.”

Weirdly, she felt her cheeks grow warm at the praise and she shook herself. Why was she acting like a teenager with a crush?

“Thanks,” she said, “Now, Dr Peculiar, do you think you could help me out here? I mean, I think I’m stuck in your mind and—”

“Oh yes. Of course.”

He motioned for her to come closer and she did so. “Return safely to your mind, Jennifer Walters, and may your rest be peaceful.” Stephen said as stood on his tip toes and pressed the pad of his thumb to her forehead.

Everything went white.

***

Exhausted. She was utterly exhausted. Still, Jennifer drifted upwards towards full consciousness. Her limbs felt heavy and she was tempted to just roll over and continue sleeping. Only, she had the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something. She cautiously opened her eyes. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the pre-dawn light. To her surprise, Levi floated in the air beside her bed. Its collar was titled anxiously towards something on the floor. She pushed herself up a little and her eyes widened as she saw Stephen sprawled across the floor, wearing clothes that were charred and smoking. For a moment, she wondered if he was all right—then, she noticed the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. A surprisingly well-defined chest, she noted, even as the rest of her wondered why he was on her floor.

He let out a groan and Jennifer immediately lowered herself back to her pillows. She forced her breathing to remain regular and watched through slitted eyes as he sat up. Jennifer was suddenly struck by how haggard he looked. Levi wrapped itself around Stephen and helped him to his feet. Stephen patted the cloak affectionately and then turned back to her.

He looked at her for a moment and she could see something warm in his blue eyes. “At least you’re not dreaming about the Leader anymore,” he said softly.

Jennifer stiffened as images flashed across her mind. The manacles. The blades. The collar. Her mouth went dry and her hands trembled.

Stephen didn’t seem to notice as he gently pulled the blankets over her. To her surprise, he reached out and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Levi flicked its hem at him and Stephen scowled.

“What?”

Levi moved its collars between the two of them.

“It’s nothing,” Stephen said.

He stood up and his legs nearly buckled. Jennifer almost leapt up to catch him, but Levi steadied him.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said to the cloak, “I’m just tired. I didn’t realise how badly the spell to enter her dreams would drain my energy. Still, I hope my presence helped her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, I’ll grab a coffee and I’ll be fine.”

Stephen turned away and walked unsteadily out of her room. Levi floated alongside him, its ends draped over Stephen’s shoulders as if to hold him upright. Once they were gone, Jennifer sat up and buried her face in her hands. She could remember all the details of her nightmares. Captivity. Dr Strange appearing. The fight with the Leader.

Oh hell. Oh hell. Oh hell. He’d known about her nightmares. He’d seen the Leader. Somehow, through some weird magic, the Stephen she’d seen in her dreams wasn’t a figment of her imagination, but rather the_ actual _Stephen Strange. Was that even possible? A few weeks ago, she would have said no, but now . . .

_Wait, he wasn’t only in my mind. Somehow, I ended up in his. _

Her chest tightened as she remembered Stephen’s screams. The purple-eyed demon. The spikes impaling him. Were his nightmares based on memories as well? Had he really been tortured by that monster?

_There’s only one way to find out._

She took several deep breaths. Then, she swung her legs out of bed and stood up. She winced as she saw the destruction she’d wrought on the bed and resolved to replace it—somehow. She made her way out the room and in the direction of the kitchen. It was one of the places in the New York Sanctum that always made her feel welcome. Inside the kitchen, there were gleaming racks of utensils on the walls, bundles of dried herbs dangling from the ceiling, and an enormous dome-shaped pizza oven that took up an entire corner by itself. Sitting beside these old-fashioned items were all the modern essentials, from a glinting, silver refrigerator to a sleek microwave and gas stove. The contrast of old and modern made reminded her of her mother’s kitchen and brought warm memories back to Jennifer.

She pushed open the door to the kitchen and, unsurprisingly, she found Stephen there. He leant against the counter as though it was the only thing keeping him upright. Well, that and Levi, who hovered anxiously next to him. To his left, was a coffee plunger filled with rich, brown liquid. Even from this distance, Jennifer could smell the decadent aroma. She noticed that Stephen’s hands were shaking badly. As she watched, he reached for the coffee plunger to pour a cup. Jennifer took a step into the kitchen as she realised what was going to happen.

Too late.

As he tried to pour, his shaking hands sent coffee sloshing everywhere, including over himself. He let out a yell and dropped the plunger. It fell to the floor and shattered, sending shards of glass and coffee in all directions. He swore, slammed his fist down on the counter and doubled over with a cry, his hands clutched to his chest. Jennifer darted forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Did you burn yourself?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” He hissed as he uncurled his fingers. “I just need to run my hands under some tepid water.”

“Right.” She steered him toward the sink, turned on the water and checked the temperature. Then, she moved aside so Stephen could run his hands under it. She noticed the red marks on his skin.

He caught her glance. “They’re not too bad. I have some bandages that I charmed so that they’ll help burns heal faster.”

“. . . all right. Then, I’ll clean this up,” she gestured to the mess as she spoke.

“There’s no need. I’ll see to it once I’m done here.”

Jennifer shrugged. “I don’t mind. You just take care of your hands.”

Jennifer grabbed a few paper towels and a damp cloth. She mopped up the coffee with the towels and then used the cloth to remove any sticky residue. To her surprise, Levi gave her a hand by grabbing a dustpan in one end and letting her sweep all the glass shards into it. Levi disappeared as soon as the pan was full—she guessed he’d gone to empty it out.

The clean-up didn’t take long and when she was done, she saw that Stephen had taken a seat at the kitchen table. He wasn’t doing anything, just stared at his scarred hands. He’d bound them with white bandages that glowed with an ethereal light, but she could see that they were still shaking badly. She went and took a seat next to him. As she did, he looked up at her.

"Thank you for your help, Ms—” he stopped suddenly, “May I call you ‘Jennifer’?”

She blinked. “Sure? And you’re welcome.”

Before she could ask him about the dreams, he said, “Jennifer . . . I owe you an apology for the incident with the orb.”

“Keep talking.” She had forgotten about their earlier argument, but it was nice to receive a sincere apology from him.

“I should never have said what I said. I was a complete asshole.”

“That’s true. But I shouldn’t have been prying around that room—sorry about that. So, I guess we’re even. ”

“I really am sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Lots of my friends are assholes. Just look at Tony.”

“Please don’t remind me,” he muttered.

“So, we’re all good,” she said with a grin, “But, if you call me childish again, I’ll throw you out the window.”

“I have the Cloak of Levitation,” Stephen said as he gestured to the cloak that had just floated into the room.

Levi flipped through the air, flicked its hem dismissively at Stephen and nuzzled Jennifer. She laughed in delight and stroked the fabric. She could have sworn that Levi shivered in pleasure. Stephen pressed his lips together.

“Traitor,” he muttered and Jennifer chuckled.

Then, she sobered as she remembered why she’d been looking for Stephen in the first place.

“So, Dr Strange—”

“Call me ‘Stephen’.”

“All right. So, Stephen, why were you invading my nightmares last night?”

He stiffened. “How did you know about that?”

“One: I saw you in my dreams. Two: I then had a dream about a weird demon with psychedelic eyes that I _know _didn’t come from my mind. Three: I saw you unconscious on my floor in charred clothing. And, four: I heard you talking about my nightmares.”

Stephen grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. “Jennifer, I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy. I had no idea that your nightmares were so . . . anyway, I apologise. I was just trying to help.”

“Don’t worry. I-I guess you probably want an explanation for what you saw.”

Her mouth went dry as she spoke and she felt her hands shake. It was suddenly hard to breathe.

“No,” he said gently.

She blinked. “What?”

“You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”

Jennifer looked away and pushed a lock of green hair out of her face. “From what I’ve read, the only way to get past the trauma is to face it.”

Yet, the thought of explaining what the Leader did to her—to relive all those moments—made bile surge up her throat.

_I’m a bloody coward, _she thought.

“I think you already started that last night,” he said, causing her to stare at him in shock. “So, there’s no rush to do more at the moment. But, whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here to listen.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Really? Since when do you like listening to other people’s problems?”

“Since someone reminded me that I can be a real asshole,” he said, and Jennifer snorted.

“I just want to say one last thing about the dream.”

Jennifer tensed. “What?”

“The Leader was wrong. You are not ‘nothing’ at all.”

His words made her eyes prick. She hadn’t known how badly she needed to hear those words until he’d said them. Then, she remembered Dormammu’s cruel voice.

“Neither are you,” she said.

Impulsively, Jennifer reached across the table and placed her hand on Stephen’s forearm.

“Thank you . . . for last night, and for this,” she said softly.

He looked down at her hand. “You’re welcome.”

Jennifer wondered if she’d crossed some weird boundary and was about to let go when he reached over with his free hand and slid her hand down his arm so that they could hold hands. His touch sent warmth shooting up her arm, directly towards her heart.

For a moment, they just sat there in companionable silence. She could feel the constant tremors running though his hand and the callouses from both his training and studies. She wondered if his shaking had something to do with the pain she’d experienced while in his mind, but decided that was a question for another time. But, there was something she did want to say.

She cleared her throat. “You know, if you ever want to talk, I’m here for you as well.”

“Talk about what?”

“About your nightmares. They’re like mine, aren’t they? They’re . . . real.”

“Yeah . . .” Stephen sighed and Jennifer gently squeezed his hand. 

“So, then you can also talk to me about them. If you want.”

He raised his eyebrows and she said, “I’m a trained attorney—I’m used to people airing their dirty laundry.” He snorted.

“Thank you for the offer.”

Their eyes met. Understanding and a hint of something else passed between them. He smiled at her and her stomach fluttered.

_He really is a great guy, once you get past the “asshole” thing. And, he’s a lot more handsome when he smiles. _

“So, how about I get us both a cup of coffee?” she offered as she reluctantly released his hand.

“I’d like that.”

And there was something in his blue eyes that told her that she was going to be sharing a lot of coffees with Stephen Strange in the future.

She looked forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, so, there you have it. The beginnings of the relationship between Jennifer and Stephen. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> The scene with the dog was inspired by a deleted scene from the "Dr Strange" film. I wanted to include it in order to give Jennifer an chance to see Stephen's soft side.
> 
> I particularly enjoyed referencing Smaug, because I love the Hobbit book/movie and Benedict Cumberbatch was brilliant in it. 
> 
> These two are occupying too much of my headspace, so I might do more for them in the future. Would anyone be interested in that?

**Author's Note:**

> And, so the story begins. Please let me know what you think :D.


End file.
